And It Came to Pass

“And it came to pass . . .”

One encouraging phrase from the Bible is translated from the Hebrew expression vayehi which means “it came to pass.” The phrase not only marks the passage of time but can also be understood to highlight God’s movement of time and circumstances in our lives. The phrase makes us aware of the Lord’s perfect pacing. God is not bound by time; he controls time. It reassures us that the hard seasons will not last forever. As many have quipped, “It didn’t come to stay.”

Many of our frustrations with our children, for our children, will “come to pass.” There will be a day when suddenly you realize that the impassible mountain has dissolved—the sleepless nights, the colicky crying hours, the potty training, the learning to read, the clumsy breaking of things and themselves, and even the hormonal rages.

Frequently, our children’s weaknesses frustrate them terribly, too. They also need to be encouraged to help them get through the difficulties of growing up.

God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (CEV)

While we are waiting for the future to unfold—for our children to grow through various learning stages—we must remain faithful to God and to the task he has given us to raise them well. We must love them and guide them toward trusting God to help them through the good and bad seasons, and we must show grace and patience while they are on the journey. And in trusting God, who controls times and seasons, we can experience joy along the way and anticipate rejoicing in the end.

So, take courage! Have faith! That frustrating thing you and your child face will not last forever. Stay in the struggle and keep encouraging your kids to push through. It’s easy for youth to give up hope because they haven’t had the repeated experiences of seeing God work things out. Tell them the times you saw the Lord pull people through. Tell them we can get stronger by the struggle. Tell them the Lord has not forgotten them.

Tell them that in God’s timing this too shall come to pass.

Pray

Lord, growing up is hard. Help me to remember that and to be patient, and to give my child grace in the process. I pray you will help us get through difficult stages. Thank you for time. Amen.

Time to Talk

Conversation starter for kids: Provides you with questions and prompts to facilitate a time of applicable discussion with children to lead them towards knowing God and His Word more deeply.

Question(s): What parts of growing up are you excited about? What parts do you wish would go slower?

Keep It Going

Related passages: These additional verses will help parents expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Psalm 90:4, 12

1 Corinthians 13:11-12

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Tonia Gutting wrote this devotional for the Hero Squad Program of the American Bible Society. Hero Squad provides complimentary faith-based resources to strengthen and encourage military families through God’s Word. For more information or to enroll your military family, check out our website.www.myherosquad.org.